Brandon ER linked to measles exposure

Public health officials have identified the emergency department waiting room at the Brandon Regional Health Centre as the city’s latest possible measles exposure site.

People who went to the ER last Thursday, Feb. 5, from 10:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. and from 7:05 p.m. to 11:15 p.m. should monitor for symptoms until Feb. 27, a provincial media bulletin said on Monday.

Those who were in the ER last Friday, Feb. 6, from 8:15 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. and from 7:15 p.m. to 2:45 a.m. Saturday should watch for symptoms until Feb. 28 and March 1, respectively.

Monday’s bulletin comes after public health officials on Friday identified last month’s Manitoba Ag Days at the Keystone Centre and the Great Western Roadhouse as possible exposure sites.

Health officials would not say how many cases linked to Ag Days were detected in Brandon.

The province has “significant concerns” about the spread of measles, as big events like Ag Days draw in people from other provinces and outside the country, a provincial spokesperson for public health said in a statement on Monday.

“There are pockets of unimmunized people in many of these jurisdictions that have not been exposed to measles,” the spokesperson said

“However, some of the people attending these events can bring the virus back home if they are susceptible and get infected, sparking new outbreaks, as Manitoba has seen throughout the last year.”

Manitoba Public Health continues to urge people to get a measles vaccine because it’s the only means to protect them from contracting the disease, the spokesperson said.

Anyone who attended the indoor farm show or visited hotels, restaurants and shops might have been exposed to measles and should monitor for symptoms until Feb. 13, the province said in Friday’s media bulletin.

Approximately 35,000 people went to the three-day event last month, said Kristen Phillips, Manitoba Ag Days general manager.

“Our thoughts are with anybody who has been affected,” Phillips said.

“We’re always doing our best to make the event as clean and safe as possible,” she said, adding that patrons and exhibitors travel from across Canada, North Dakota, South Dakota and Germany to take part in the event.

Phillips said the province did not provide her with any information about how many cases may have been detected linked to Ag Days.

The province is advising people who attended Ag Days between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Jan. 20, 21 or 22 to monitor for the highly contagious disease until Feb. 11, 12 and 13, respectively.

People who attended the Agriculture in the Classroom event at the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba Dome Building from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. between Jan. 20 to 22 should also monitor for symptoms until those same dates.

Those who were at the Great Western Roadhouse, located inside the Canad Inns Destination Centre, on Jan. 20 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. should also watch for symptoms until Feb. 11, the province’s bulletin said.

Manitoba Public Health recommends those who were exposed at these locations, were born in 1970 or later and haven’t received a measles vaccine (MMR or MMRV) to get vaccinated.

Infants less than six months of age, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems should not get the measles vaccine. They are advised to contact their health-care provider for other preventive treatments.

Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett said the city is monitoring the situation through provincial public health updates and will continue to follow the guidance of health officials.

“Unless we get word from public health that there’s something we should be doing, we’re going to continue business as usual,” he said. “This is more of a public health issue than a municipal issue, and we’ll follow their advice.”

While the number of measles cases in Manitoba is rising locally, Fawcett said “it hasn’t been an issue in Brandon.”

He encourages people to make sure their immunization records are up to date.

“Measles was close to eradicated at one point. Not much has changed other than people are not getting vaccinated,” Fawcett said.

Manitoba Public Health said most cases are unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children who have been exposed in their communities.

Between February and December of last year, there were 319 confirmed measles cases and 29 probable cases in Manitoba. In January 2026, there were 74 confirmed cases and eight possible ones in the province.

Data from public health show a total of 22 people have been hospitalized, with 16 being children under the age of 10, since Feb. 1, 2025.

Between January 2000 and December 2024, there was only 18 measles cases in Manitoba, according to provincial data.

Symptoms may appear seven to 21 days after exposure.

Early signs can include a fever, runny nose, drowsiness, irritability and red eyes. Small white spots may also develop on the inside of the mouth or throat.

Several days after the initial symptoms, a red blotchy rash will appear on the face and progress to the torso and limbs. Measles can lead to complications such as ear infections, diarrhea, pneumonia and encephalitis (brain inflammation).

Measles spreads through close personal contact with an infected person who can spread the virus from four days before the rash appears until four days after. It can also be spread through droplets in the air when a person coughs or sneezes.

Doctors Manitoba president Nichelle Desilets said the number of cases in the province is “worrisome” paired with a trend in changing public opinions and lack of trust in the medical system.

“I never saw a case of measles in my medical training and growing up through childhood until this recent outbreak, and that’s the case for many medical students, physicians, nurses,” said Desilets, who works as a doctor in Neepawa.

She encourages people who are feeling sick, especially if they have symptoms consistent with measles, to avoid crowded events.

“It’s important to make good personal choices about the safety of yourself, but also the safety of your loved ones around you,” she said, adding that the “most reliable” way for a person to protect themselves from the disease is through vaccination.

Desilets said people who have questions or concerns about the vaccine should seek out the expertise of a family doctor. She would also like people to think critically about where they are getting their measles vaccine information from.

“Everyone has the opportunity to have … bodily autonomy and make decisions for themselves, but I’m worried that it’s not really bodily autonomy if it’s being made based on information that itself is not true, and so physicians are always here to help with that,” she said.

» tadamski@brandonsun.com, with files from Abiola Odutola